


want to be near you

by vatonages



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Boys Kissing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 14:56:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19396495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vatonages/pseuds/vatonages
Summary: “Another terrible date. He said I was ‘too mean’. I resent that! I’m a very nice guy!” Jeno laughs softly, and then falls silent.“I don’t think you like these guys, Hyuckie,” he says quietly.“What do you mean?” Donghyuck looks at him funny, so he elaborates.“You’re not mean. Not to people you like, anyways. I think you’re very sweet.”  Donghyuck lays back down. He must have a big head. It’s hard to hold up. Jeno’s hand is back to stroking his hair. Donghyuck can hear Jeno’s heartbeat through his chest, a steady thump, and wonders if his own heart is starting to beat faster.





	want to be near you

Donghyuck and Jeno are closer than most roommates, which is why Donghyuck feels comfortable flopping into Jeno’s bed with a defeated sigh and burying his head in Jeno’s chest. He’s warm and reliable and solid without feeling too bony or uncomfortable, and the way they fit together is kind of perfect.

“What’s wrong?” Jeno asks, setting down his phone that’s become hot from overuse. He really needs to stop gaming so much. He has terrible vision already and staring at a screen all day can’t be helping, but everyone has their vices. He locks it to give Donghyuck his full attention, unfazed by the show of affection. A hand comes up to stroke Donghyuck’s hair just as he lifts his head to talk.

“Another terrible date. He said I was ‘too mean’. I resent that! I’m a very nice guy!” Jeno laughs softly, and then falls silent.

“I don’t think you like these guys, Hyuckie,” he says quietly. 

“What do you mean?” Donghyuck looks at him funny, so he elaborates.

“You’re not mean. Not to people you like, anyways. I think you’re very sweet.” Donghyuck lays back down. He must have a big head. It’s hard to hold up. Jeno’s hand is back to stroking his hair. Donghyuck can hear Jeno’s heartbeat through his chest, a steady thump, and wonders if his own heart is starting to beat faster.

“Of course you think I’m sweet,” Donghyuck says, muffled slightly by the fabric of Jeno’s shirt. “I treat you the  _ best.  _ I’m your best friend ever, and you can tell Jaemin I said that.” Jeno laughs. 

“Is it a competition?”

“With us? Everything is.”

“You guys are ridiculous,”

“Well, you must  _ like _ ridiculous. You keep us around for a reason.”

“I keep you around? It’s not the opposite?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Donghyuck says, lifting his head again to make eye contact with Jeno even though supporting his head from that angle is an Olympic feat. “Don’t go all self deprecating on me, Jeno-yah. I won’t allow it.” Jeno smiles and looks away. Donghyuck’s stomach growls loudly, and it’s embarrassing. 

“Didn’t you eat on your date?” Jeno asks.

“I wasn’t hungry at the time because he pissed me off. Something about him was annoying me from the beginning.”

“Why did you even go if you didn’t like the guy? Donghyuck, you make no sense,”

“I didn’t know I didn’t like the guy until I met up with him! He seemed just fine before.”

“It sucks, you know.” Jeno says.

“I know, right? Nobody deserves me,” Donghyuck jokes.

“No, they don’t. That’s the thing,” Jeno says, too serious. “Hey, do you want me to make us something?” They exchange eye contact, and burst into laughter.

“I’ll get us a pizza,” Jeno says, grabbing his phone. 

“You’re the best,” Donghyuck says sleepily. Noticing that Donghyuck is starting to crush him a little, Jeno taps on his back. 

“Hey, Donghyuck. We need to get up.” When he buries his face even deeper in Jeno’s chest, Jeno laughs. 

“We need to get up! We’ll both fall asleep and ruin our lives if we stay like this!” Donghyuck pretends to snore, and Jeno puts his phone back down to free both of his arms.

“If it’s like that,” he says, and flips them over. It takes Donghyuck by surprise, but instead of the wrestling Jeno thought would take place, Donghyuck just gathers Jeno in his arms and holds him there. Jeno’s stiff in his embrace, not used to it. It’s always Donghyuck coming to him, it’s never like this.

“Hey, why don’t we do this more often?’ Donghyuck says, cuddling Jeno efficiently. “I can’t be the only one pulling my weight in this friendship, Jeno. It’s all about reciprocity.”

“That’s a big word. You learn that in Econ?”

“Hey, I know big words! I’m very smart. You’ve been fed Mark propaganda!”

“Mark hyung doesn’t think you’re  _ stupid,  _ he thinks you’re annoying.”

_ “He’s _ annoying!”

“I’m not getting involved,” Donghyuck laughs, squeezing Jeno tighter. He’s a little less stiff now, but he’s still not actively participating. That’s fine. It’s nice like this, too. 

“You couldn’t be more involved, dummy.” he says fondly. “Hey, look at me?” Jeno looks up obediently. His glasses look cute on him, slightly askew from being pushed up against Donghyuck’s chest. 

When they first met, Jeno hated to have his glasses on, always wearing contacts instead. When he was home, he liked to give his eyes a break, but he was insecure with his glasses on. He still rips them off sometimes when other people are around, but he never takes them off for Donghyuck. It’s something small, but he thinks it speaks volumes about how far their friendship has come. He likes it if people are comfortable around him, but he loves that Jeno is. Jeno blinks prettily at him through the lenses and Donghyuck smiles.

“What is it?” Jeno asks. “Is there something in my eye?” Donghyuck laughs, and it catches Jeno off guard, its explosive joy in the quiet room, but his mouth stretches out into a grin too, happy to have made him laugh. As the laughter mellows out into content silence, they don’t break eye contact. Jeno pulls his body up so he can fit against Donghyuck better, and maybe there is a charm to this, the other way around, snuggling up to him. 

Donghyuck lets go of Jeno to free his arms, and then reaches forward to take Jeno’s glasses off gently, folds them and places them on top of the mini fridge they have between their beds. Jeno looks confused, but not upset, and Donghyuck caresses his cheek with his thumb.

What happens then is, like all things with them, gentle. Donghyuck just lifts his head a bit, but Jeno seems, like always, to already know what he wants. He climbs up to meet Donghyuck more than halfway, and presses his mouth against his. Donghyuck’s hand curls softly in Jeno’s hair, right at the nape of his neck. It’s unhurried, sweet, lazy. Jeno pulls back suddenly.

“What about the pizza?” Jeno asks, and Donghyuck laughs.

  
“It can wait!”

“But I’m stressed.”

“Then order the pizza, honey,” Jeno’s eyes widen.

“It’s that easy to get to ‘honey’ status? One kiss?”

“I’ve always called you that! You’re overthinking it.”

“Then why are you blushing?” Jeno laughs. 

“Order the pizza, Jeno!” 

“Wait, but this is too much fun. I never get to tease you. Are you shy?”

“Will you just-” Donghyuck starts to say, but never finishes. He pulls Jeno down by the shirt to kiss him again and he gets the result he wants anyway: Jeno’s silence. Jeno’s hands are flat on Donghyuck’s chest, like he’s being careful not to put too much weight on him, hesitant to fully lay down. Donghyuck doesn’t want him to feel stressed, to hesitate. They’ve never been awkward around each other and this shouldn’t be any different. He shifts, so Jeno loses balance, and holds Jeno so he’s flush against his body, rolling them over again. 

Donghyuck isn’t sure what makes affection surge through him, if it’s how sweet and careful Jeno is or that Jeno’s just always there for him, or that he’s thinking too much about what Jeno said earlier, about how maybe Donghyuck never liked any of those guys at all. Maybe it’s always been Jeno, and it was just so obvious it never even occurred to him.

He presses Jeno into the bed in a way that’s not too much, but enough to ground him, keep him there. Jeno doesn’t really want to run away, but that’s always his instinct. Donghyuck knows that well. Jeno always panics, and then regrets it later. Donghyuck doesn’t want him to regret this. He pulls back, suddenly worried. Jeno is dazed, looking up at him. He looks disappointed, cheeks flushed and lips a little swollen, so pretty and a little out of breath. 

“What’s-”

“This is okay?” Donghyuck asks. “I mean, I wasn’t sure if I was forcing it.”

“No, no,” Jeno says, hands on Donghyuck’s back and pulling him back down, back to kissing. “It’s okay, it’s good,” he says breathlessly. Donghyuck feels his heart melt, Jeno’s insistent hands and silent begging. 

“Donghyuck,” he whines, but Donghyuck just laughs, keeps diving down like he’s going to kiss Jeno and making him arch up but pulling away at the last second, teasing him. 

“Remember when I said you’re not mean? I changed my mind,” Jeno pouts. Donghyuck laughs.

“I’m sorry.” he coos, pushing Jeno’s bangs out of his face. “I’m sorry,” This time, when he leans down to kiss Jeno, he really does it, and he feels Jeno’s entire body relax into.

“You’re so pretty, Jeno,” he breathes, and Jeno looks embarrassed, but happy.

“Next time, instead of going on another date with someone you don’t even like, you can just...stay here. You can stay, right?”

“Yeah,” Donghyuck agrees. “I think I will,” Jeno smiles at him, and then in a flurry of frantic motion, he sits up and shoves Donghyuck off of him. Donghyuck’s eyes are wide with fear, and then Jeno picks up his phone.

“The  _ pizza!”  _ he says, and Donghyuck just laughs and laughs.

**Author's Note:**

> they're the softest T_T


End file.
